Blouse-retainer and skirt-supporter.



S. E. BUTTER.

BLOUSE RETAINER AND SKIRT SUPPORTER.

APPLICATION FILED SIEll-T 4, 1912,

Patented Apr. .22, 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH (10-, WASHINGTON, D. cv

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SIDNEY ERNEST BUTTER, OF CAMBERWELL, LONDON, ENGLAND ASSIGNOR 'IO WILLIAM GEORGE HARRIS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

BLOUSE-BETAINER AND SKIRT-SUPPORTER.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SIDNEY EeNns'r RUT- TER, a subject of the King of England, residing at Shenley road, Camber-Well, London, S. E, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Blouse-Retainers and Skirt-Supporters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices applicable for use with ladies wear and more particularly for preventing the blouse from creeping up at the waist and at the same time for supporting the skirt from the waist.

It has already been proposed to provide a skirt supporting and blouse retaining device comprising an elongated curved; preferably resilient metal plate adapted to be slipped over the waist belt or band and provided at its lower edge or portion either with sharp pins or spikes or with a piece of india rubber for the purpose of increasing the grip of the plate on the garment.

Now according to the present invention an extremely eflicient device of this character is obtained which will have no tendency to tear the blouse or to be displaced after its proper adjustment on the body of the wearer.

To this end the device which forms the subject of the present inventioncomprises a frame portion, preferably of sheet metal, and of any desired configuration. This frame portion is bent so as to conform with the normal curvature of the waist of the wearer. Suitably attached to this frame portion so as to bear against the body of the wearer is a bowed leaf spring, preferably of metal, so that normally its curvature is 0pposed to that of the frame portion. This framework is adapted to be slipped or threaded on to the webbing of the loose waist band, so that the band passes over the bowed spring member and thereby is interposed between the spring and the garment.

In order to provide a more effective grip upon the blouse the inside of the portion of the waist band lying in front of the spring is preferably provided with a grip promoting or augmenting coating or surface, such as for instance a layer of roughened india rubber or the like. This layer of rubber may extend on either side of the framework so as to further extend the gripping surface of the device.

Hinged or otherwise movably suspended from either the upper or lower portion of Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 4, 1912.

Serial No. 718,565.

the frame member are hooksor like means carrying safety pins or clips or similar devices adapted to grip the adjacent portion or top edge of the skirt so as to enable the device to be used at the same time for pre venting the skirt from slipping down as will be more clearly understood from a description of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 illustrates a perspective inside view of the improved device of about its natural size. Fig. 2 is an outside view of Fig. l with the waist band omitted. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section of Fig. 1. Figs. 4, 5 and 6 show modified constructions which will be hereinafter more fully referred to.

As shown, the frame portion or spring carrier A consists of a skeleton member, preferably of rectangular configuration slightly curved so as to readily adapt itself to the normal curvature of the body of the wearer. Between the two longitudinal sides a and the vertical or tranverse edges a of the frame are two intermediate members or cross bars a Arranged midway between these cross.bars and extending inwardly from the longitudinal bars a are lugs or abutments a. Suitably attached to the cross bars a is a leaf spring B, preferably having lugs or portions 1) of metal at its ends bent or curled so as to embrace these cross bars.

As clearly shown in the drawings, the curvature of the spring B is opposed to that of the frame member A, whereby in applying the device to the body a relatively strong spring action results from the combined resiliency of the spring and its carrier, and the spring is caused to act as a retainer in being pressed against the outer portion by the contact with the garment to be held in position. The width of the spring is by preference equal to the inside width of the frame portion and the lugs a are provided to prevent the spring from being forced through the frame in outward direction. The ends of the spring terminate at some distance from the outer transverse edges (4 of the frame A so that loops (4 are formed bet-ween these parts, as shown.

Thev waist band C is slipped through these loops (1 so as to pass over the spring B and to act against the spring when applied to the body and fastened thereto in some convenient manner, as by the usual buckles or the Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

like. Suitably attached to that portion of the waist band which lies against the spring B is a layer D of india rubber or the like having, by preference, a roughened or grained surface so as to act with a secure grip on the garment.

Connected preferably to the upper longitudinal bar a of the frame A, such as by hooks E or the like, are safety pins F so as to enable the wearer to pin up the adjacent edge of the skirt and to hold it safely supported by the frame member A, which also acts to hold the blouse securely in position.

The hooks or pin carriers E may of course be hinged to the longitudinal bar a of the frame A, as shown for instance in Fig. 6, so as to prevent them from being unhooked and lost. In this figure the spring B is not shown, and the top portion or bar a" of the frame A has by preference circular cross section so as to form a suitably shaped axis or hinge pin about which the carriers E may properly oscillate. In the place of the safety pins, clips or known devices for gripping the edge of the skirt may be employed. To this end, as shown in Fig. 4, the top portion or bar a of the frame A may be provided with lugs (of which only one pair is shown) adapted to receive a short pin or aXis a which may be integral with the lugs for the arrangement of the carrier members E to which the clips or like means are attached. In Fig. 5 which again shows a portion of the top bar a of the frame A the pins a are secured to the side of the bar a and the straps or hinges from which the clips or other gripping means are suspended, are rotatably mounted thereon, as will be readily understood.

It is obvious that the device may receive any desired shape or configuration and that the details of its construction may be varied without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

WVhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A device for supporting garments comprising an outer portion and a resilient curved inner portion supported therefrom, said outer portion also being adapted to support a waist band in contact with the resilient-portion, substantially as described.

2. A waist band device comprising a frame, a leaf spring secured to and bowed away from said frame and openings between the outer ends of the frame and the outer ends of the spring through which the waist band can be passed so as to lie in contact with the spring, substantially as set forth.

3. A waist band device comprising an open frame, vertical cross bars across said frame near its ends and a bowed leaf spring curved away from the frame and secured at its ends to said vertical bars substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SIDNEY ERNEST BUTTER.

\Vitnesses O. J. VVORTH, C. P. LIDDON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

